


Light Years Pass Slowly: A Stardew Valley Apocalypse

by Jim Creeggan (JimCreeggan)



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-02
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 13:48:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 13
Words: 11,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29809344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JimCreeggan/pseuds/Jim%20Creeggan
Summary: In the midst of a 20 year long war, Zuzu City and later Pelican Town are under attack by the military of Gotoro and hungry citizens who just want to live but in a destructive manner. With Marnie, Jodi, and Kent missing, Shane and Sam team up with their two kids in an effort to survive.
Relationships: Harvey/Shane (Stardew Valley), Penny/Sam (Stardew Valley), Sam/Sebastian (Stardew Valley)
Kudos: 26





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Credit to Amevoid, SnailMilkBiscuit and Polinaria on Tumblr for inspiring me to write this with their art and ideas! General TW for violence, death, profanity, and sparse mild sexual content.

_Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!_ The gunfire didn’t even startle Kent anymore. It was to be expected. 

This war, this godawful war, had been going on for over twenty years now, and both sides had blown up and destroyed so many towns, so many cities. As he flew in planes, he noticed large pieces of landscapes burned to the ground, nothing but dust and ash. Wilderness or a thriving town was a rare sight. He was just glad his sons were safe in the little valley of Stardew, a place so small and insignificant war coming there was beyond his wildest dreams. 

He’d been drafted for this war three times by now, each time surviving and being sent back in the next draft. He hated fighting this war; he wasn’t protecting his country, he was giving the military of the Gotoro another reason to attack them, to kill his sons and wife. The thought outraged him. 

Then, the gunfire drew closer. Kent knew what that meant, and ran, but it was over in a matter of seconds. War had taken another victim.


	2. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if the formatting is wonky, this is my first time using Ao3

Shane was at home the day _it_ happened.

He was in his room, usual for him on a Saturday morning, eating a breakfast sandwich and drinking a glass of milk, straight from the ranch. He was watching some crappy rerun of a gardening show to pass the time, until Marnie needed work done or until Jas wanted to play. All was well. Until _it_ happened _._

There was a quick clatter as the room shook from a loud boom, dislodging some objects from their positions. 

_Must be a minor earthquake or something,_ Shane thought, putting objects back in place and going to check on Jas. Through some miracle, she’d managed to sleep through whatever that was, so Shane went back to his usual life. But, his gardening show was no longer on. Instead, it had automatically switched to what he assumed must be the news. He was in such a state of shock that he had a hard time absorbing all the words the news reporter was saying. All he took in was the wreckage and the carnage he saw on screen; buildings were collapsing, people were scrambling everywhere, mothers and fathers were running away with children clamped to their breasts…

Shane’s phone pinged as he got a notification from his news app that was automatically installed. **Zuzu City bombed and under attack. Sources say that the bomb may have been dropped by opposing forces in the war. If you live in or near Zuzu City, evacuate immediately. Stay tuned for updates.**

Shane felt the air leave his lungs. He knew there was a war; everyone in town knew, as one of their own was off fighting in the front lines. He was surprised it could ever come to this, though- He always thought this was some kind of war over fossil fuels, not anything that could warrant having a bomb dropped on Zuzu! He dashed to Marnie’s room, hoping and praying that she was there. They were both lucky, as Shane’s brown-haired aunt was still in bed, barely awake, checking her phone.

“You heard.” Was all she said, looking at her nephew dismally.

“I think everyone heard, that boom was loud. I wanted to make sure that you’re okay.” He then quickly added, “Jas is all right too, I went to check on her as soon as I heard the blast.”

“Thank Yoba for that.” Clearly Marnie wasn’t in a talking mood at the moment, and could Shane blame her? He didn’t really want to either, he just wanted to make sure that his aunt hadn’t taken an early morning trip to the city.

“I’ll tell Jas,” Marnie declared, braiding her hair back. “She sees you as her guardian angel, so I should be the bearer of bad news, for both of your sakes.”  
Funny, seeing as how Shane thought his whole life was bad news, even if he hid that from Jas.

Breakfast (well, second breakfast for Shane) was awkward that day. Shane couldn’t speak for Jas and Marnie, but he was so terrified that his appetite had disappeared. Marnie just looked soulless, but Shane could see tears welling up in Jas’s eyes, threatening to stream down her face at any moment. Shane felt a twist in his gut, hating that this happened, and hating that it had already affected his goddaughter.

He was the first person to say anything.

“Jas, no matter what happens, Marnie and I are going to keep you safe, okay?”

That was when the floodgates opened. “But why did it have to happen at all?” Jas asked through tears.

“I don’t know.” That was the best he could bring himself to say, knowing that the concept of war and hatred was too complicated, and maybe too burdening, for a child to understand.

“But there’s a war.” Marnie butted in. “There’s been a war going on since before you were born, and since Shane was a very little boy. Vincent and Sam’s dad is off fighting that war- you remember Kent, don’t you?”

“But why does there have to _be_ war?” She cried.

“I don’t know.” Shane said once again, and Jas nodded in solem acceptance, not wanting to press her uncle further.

Marnie checked her phone once again. “Lewis just texted me; he’s going to have a town meeting about all of this later tonight, which is probably a good idea.”  
The mention of Lewis lightened the situation a little bit, as Jas gigged while looking at Shane, trying to stifle it with her hands. They both knew about the mayor and Marnie’s “secret” relationship, and Jas found it quite humorous.

Smiling at Jas with a twinkle in his eye, he turned to Marnie. “So, what are we going to do?”

Marnie seemed to be dreading the question. “I’m going to wait until after the meeting to decide, because right now, I have no idea. It’s not really like there’s anywhere we can go that’s safer than here.”

Shane hoped they wouldn’t need to go anywhere, because, honestly, he didn’t know what they’d do either.

***

Jodi had told her boys she’d be in Zuzu in the morning. She had a pretty bad sore in her foot, she said, and Harvey had referred her to a specialist in the city. Sam didn’t think much of it, just hoping that his mother could make the drive with her aching foot.

Sam was awoken the next morning by the sound that shook the world, sending Vincent into his elder brother’s room to hide. 

“What was that?” He asked fearfully. 

Still half asleep, Sam replied, “Dunno. Maybe Pam crashed the bus again.” Truth be told, he’d never heard a noise like that in his life. 

Upon getting the notification, a slurry of thoughts made their way through Sam’s head. 

_A bomb! Oh, well, that makes sense._

**_A bomb?_ **

_Mom was in Zuzu when it must have dropped!_ _  
_

_If there’s bombing near here, things must be getting pretty bad in the war. I hope dad’s okay._

_We need to get the hell out of here!_

“Vincent, we’re leaving,” Sam decided quickly. He texted his mom, letting her know they wouldn’t be home and asking if she was safe.

“Where are we going?” Vincent asked as Sam hurried him out the door.

“No time to explain!” Sam shouted, even though the real answer was _I don’t know._

And then, he bolted. 


	3. Chapter 2

Nearly the entire town was gathered, which never happened outside of holidays. Lewis’s headcount did determine a few missing, though. 

“Has anyone seen or heard from Jodi, Sam, or Vincent?”

Upon hearing that the whole family was missing, the town seemed unsettled, especially hearing about Vincent. No one wanted the first casualty of a nearby attack to be a child. 

“Jodi left early this morning, before…” Emily, who was speaking, had no need to elaborate. “And almost right after the news hit, I saw Sam take Vincent and run.”

Sebastian had been listening to the news of Sam, his best friend and life partner, with bated breath. As soon as he heard Sam had run away, his hand shot up, his voice carrying above the crowd. “I’ll find them!”

“ _Sebby_ ,” his mother immediately scolded. “Do you understand how dangerous that’d be?”

“At least it’d get me out of my room,” he whisper-snapped, which caused his stepfather to bring his finger to his lips in a silent _shhhhhh_. That shut Sebastian up, as the last thing he needed right now was for his mom and Demetrius to get into another fight over him. 

“That’s honorable of you, Sebastian, bur right now I think the best course of action would be to file a missing person’s report for each of them, which I’ll do as soon as this meeting is over.” Lewis stared down at the papers he was holding, looking nervous. “Speaking of action, I think the best course of action for the current situation would be a lack of it.”

This got all the townsfolk chatting like birds, but they waited for Lewis to finish before settling his case in the court of public opinion. 

“This does _not_ mean that I am forbidding anyone from doing anything. What it does mean is that I am allowing you all the decision of what to do. I think it would be foolish and irresponsible of me to do it any other way. The only thing I will make a public statement on, though, is that we will be giving sanctuary to anyone who needs it. I expect a lot of Zuzu citizens will be coming here, weak, hungry, and injured, so treat any visitors with kindness. The meeting is dismissed.”

Immediately after, everyone started discussing their plans. 

Elliott, who Sebastian wondered if needed to be in the spotlight at all times, declared, “I’m going to build a sailboat, and take all who can fit with me across the sea to freedom! Any volunteers?”  
Leah unsurprisingly volunteered, which led Elliott to look to Willy. “Will you come, my fine gentleman?” He asked, in his crispest accent. 

“You could bring along much younger people, laddy. There’s no need to let an old seadog like me be a barnacle on yer back.” 

Elliott raised a brow. “WIlly, we _asked_ you to come. You will not be a burden on any of us.” 

He stood up, seemingly pleased with Elliott’s response. “All right, then. I’ll sail away with you and your lady-friend here.”

No one else volunteered to go with Elliott. _Probably because no one else can put up with his prettyboy-ness_ , Sebastian thought with a snicker. 

A surprising amount of people didn’t seem to have any change in plans at all, with some even _denying_ change. 

“I’ll _die_ before I go live with that magical purple-haired freak!” Pierre snapped at his wife. “Besides, I have a store to run.”

 _Your loss, sucker,_ Sebastian thought as he went to bid farewell to Abigail, who was going to live with the Wizard with her mother. For the time being, at least. 

“Good luck finding Sam, if our mom lets you,” Abigail said, giving Sebastian a quick friendly hug goodbye. 

“I’m going to find Sam and his little brother whether mom likes it or not,” Sebastian said with a rebellious grin. 

“And when you find him, bring you two to the Wizard’s tower. Because I’m going to miss you two knuckleheads.”

⁕⁕⁕

“The _mines_?”

“Yes! I can’t think of anywhere safer to stay,” Demetrius exclaimed triumphantly at dinner, with his wife’s nodding approval. 

“There’s monsters in the mines, though!” Maru protested. 

“We’ll be staying right at the entrance, maybe even only a few floors down,” Robin explained. “It’ll be safer than staying up here.”

“Can I go stay in the trailer with Penny instead?” 

“Pam is scarier than anything you’ll see in the mines,” Sebastian pointed out, which got him a stern glance from his mother once again. 

“Sure. But I expect you to return here or to the mines if anything goes wrong,” Robin said.

“So can I go out and look for Sam?” Sebastian asked hopefully. 

Another stern glance. “Heavens no! You have no idea where he could be! You’d get lost and we’d never hear from you again.”

“Well, I don’t want my best friend to die!”

“And _I_ don’t want to lose my only son.” Robin’s voice was harsh, and she set down her fork and glared at Sebastian. 

“I’ll start packing for the mines.” Demetrius rose, clearly wanting an excuse to not have to participate in the argument, and Maru followed his lead. Sebastian found he had nothing left to say, though, a bile rising in his throat, knowing what he’d have to do. As he’d told Abigail, he’d find Sam and bring him home. No matter what.


	4. Chapter 3

A week had passed since the bombing, and Lewis’s prediction had been right. People were coming to Pelican Town for safety, replacing the few that had evacuated or gone missing. Now there were four missing citizens, as Sebastian had gone AWOL off looking for Sam. Even though Sebastian’s family was in shreds because of his disappearance, Shane wished he could do something as heroic. Instead, he was still working at JojaMart.

Everyone was stockpiling supplies, and Pierre must have sold out because even his most loyal customers had gone the route of Joja. It kept Shane busy at work, though. 

“Don’t you have family somewhere? Why aren’t you staying with them?” Haley asked nosily as she ran into Shane stocking more toilet paper, which had been selling like hot cakes recently. He found it darkly funny how, in the midst of war, people were still only concerned about their own asses. 

“Trust me, Haley, I’d rather listen to Caroline and Pierre bicker for the rest of time than have to go live with my family.” In the back of his mind, Shane had even considered it. The two main reasons he didn’t, though, was because they lived on the outskirts of Zuzu City (if they hadn’t moved, which Shane had no idea if they had or not), and Jas. Shane knew how his parents treated children, and Jas certainly didn’t need that behavior in her life. So, they stayed with Aunt Marnie, and Shane continued to be a corporate slave. 

When Morris wasn’t looking, Shane would sneak food into his backpack, the kind that would never go bad if he needed it. Mainly canned goods, frozen meals, and Joja Snack cakes which Shane had learned in job orientation kept longer than they should. A five year expiration date. Shane didn’t even know if he’d be alive in five years, but his JojaCakes™ would be. 

“Hi, Shane,” Shane heard from behind him. He turned around to see doctor Harvey, a sweet smile on his face and his hair combed perfectly down. Shane wondered how he could always manage to look so perfect and well groomed even in the most dire of situations. He had to admit that Harvey was quite a charmer. 

“Hi, Harvey,” he said with a blush. “Can I help you with anything?” 

“Oh, just going to pick up some medical supplies. I can handle myself, but thanks for asking.” Harvey walked away, standing tall as he strided gracefully. Shane wasn’t even sure if he knew just how immaculate he looked from every angle. Some of his confidence rubbed Shane’s away, making him too shy to speak to Harvey, and instead rushed off to the bathroom. 

He collapsed on the toilet, head in his hands. He hadn’t let himself admit it until this point, but he missed Sam. Even if all it seemed like he did at work was make messes for Shane to clean up, he kept him company.

And Jas. 

More than anything, he was worried about Jas. She was a sweet girl, and as soon as he found out that her parents, his good friends and saviors, had passed away in that terrible accident, he vowed he would give her the best life he possibly could as her godfather. A life he’d never gotten to have as a child. And now that stupid war was putting her in jeopardy, and she was too young to even wholly comprehend what was going on. 

_ Things are going to be okay,  _ he convinced himself, zipping up his jeans.  _ I’ll make them okay for her, at least.  _

⁕⁕⁕

To clean off the grime that had accumulated, Sebastian splashed water on his face, and with it the memories of the past week flowed over him. 

As soon as his family was in the mines and unaware, he’d snuck out. It’d been night, that way they were asleep and wouldn’t notice him missing, and if they did he’d have the advantage and would be a good distance away from them. And it was easier to hide in the shadow of darkness. 

His escape had been a successful one, with no sign of his mother or father chasing after him. That was when he’d actively started his search, looking up and down the valley for his AWOL partner. He’d eventually come to a grassy field above the train tracks, that was nothing more than a sandy lot with tall, long grass sticking up from it, like stiff hair on the back of a frightened dog’s neck. He hadn’t found Sam yet, but his mom hadn’t found him. It was a lose-win, for the time being. Things would change pretty quickly, though. 

As Sebastian had taken a break from searching to wash his face, he was just thinking about life, when he heard… voices. For a second, he just thought he was going mad, but as he tried to tune out the voices, they didn’t disappear. Could they be… real?

“Sam?” He croaked, hoping he wasn’t just hearing things.

“Sebastian!”

Hugs were given once the two reunited, hugs and words of kindness and love and encouragement. Sebastian had found Sam, but the journey had only just begun.


	5. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry there were no updates yesterday, Thursday and Monday are my busiest days and I have to sneak around on a school Chromebook :)))

“The mayor! The mayor’s been shot!”

Shane wasn't sure who was screaming at his door but he wasn't about to wait to find out.

“Jas! Marnie!” He cried, trying to fight back tears. Only when he left his room did Shane realize it was pitch-black outside.

“Yes, Uncle Shane?” Jas said calmly, dressed in a nightgown.

“Grab your clothes and anything else you need and put it in a bag or something! We have to go!” Shane was already scrambling and fitting all he could into a backpack. He checked Marnie's room, but she still wasn't there; he prayed that she hadn’t been with Lewis when he was assassinated. He didn't have time to find out, though; he needed to protect Jas, because at least he knew Marnie could handle herself.

Jas had listened, and had taken a bag of all her things.

“Get on my back, honey,” Shane pleated trying not to show how terrified he was.

Always happy to accept a piggyback ride, Jas obeyed, and as much as it hurt his aching back, like Sam before him, Shane bolted.

⁕⁕⁕

Alex was the one to warn the townspeople. Alex knew he couldn't stand around and do nothing as Pelican town was invaded not only by opposing war forces, but by hungry Zuzu City citizens who were blinded by need and desperation as they tore everything to shreds. 

His grandparents had refused to leave, even after Lewis and had been shot and killed.

“ I grew up in this house, raised your mother in this house, and raised you in this house. I'm not leaving now,” George said. "Besides it's not like I could go anywhere anyways."

"And I'm not going anywhere your grandfather isn't going, “ Evelyn said.

"Grandpa, we can still get you out!" Alex protested, as kindly as he could. "we could at least try!" But he knew that when George set his mind on something, you couldn't change that. So Alex did all he could to save everyone else, running through the carnage to save the lives of people in Pelican Town. Most people got out fine, but not all; Emily has been pinned down by a wooden beam and attacked, but Alex and Haley had pried her free. Pam hadn't been so lucky, though. Before Alex and gotten the chance to help, he found her with her head smashed open, with shards of glass stuck in her forehead: Someone must have hit her with a wine bottle. Her blood dripped onto the pavement, her eyes were glassy, and Alex knew it was too late. He wasn't sure if you wanted Penny to know the fate of her mother or not, but he hoped she was at peace. Pierre was another unfortunate one; Alex could tell he was trapped inside his home with no escape, and there was nothing he could do to help him either. Each loss was like a punch to the gut, but he had to remember it wasn’t his fault.

Once he made sure everyone had evacuated, he went back to his grandparent’s house; 1 River Road, where he'd spent the last 12 years of his life, and where he figured his life would end. 

"No, Alex!” Evelyn cried, seeing him come back into the house. "Save yourself!"

Alex's gaze was stony. “I saved as many as I could and if I can't save you, then I'm staying with you."

Alex stayed with his grandparents, comforting them, praying that the assailants wouldn't attack, if on the sole basis that they were an old couple (if you took Alex out of the equation). But, soon enough, Alex heard gunfire and smelled smoke, and he knew the end was near. His hand was clamped on Evelyn's and his other on George's; He felt awful for not being able to save them, and Pam and Pierre too. Tears streamed down his cheeks, unrelated to the smoke that was stinging his eyes. "I love you."

“We love you too, Alex.” 

And soon, it’d be all over.


	6. Chapter 5

Shane’s legs ached, his lungs and nostrils stung, and his back felt like it was going to snap in half. But he needed to keep going, needed to keep going, to protect Jas. He didn’t even know  _ where  _ he was going, but he needed to keep running. He’d already run past the Wizard’s tower, And then cursed himself for not asking for a place to stay there. Too late now, though. He had to keep running.

"Where's Aunt Marnie?" Jas asked as he ran. “Are we going to find Sam? Where are we going?”

“I don't know, no, as far away from the valley as possible.”

"Why? Is Marnie coming?”

Shane panted, not being able to sigh, as he didn't really want to think about his missing aunt.

“It’s not safe there anymore, and Marnie is going to be fine.”

He must have been running for hours now, the most exercise has he gotten in ages. His legs felt like they were going to collapse under him and he'd go sprawling out like a baby deer. Finally, he was given a good excuse to stop.

“Uncle Shane, I need to go to the bathroom.” 

Shane let his daughter crawl off of his back, tossed her some toilet paper he packed, and let himself rest. His legs were trembling, his vision was swimming, and he could feel his heart pounding in his chest. Not even to mention his poor back. but those weren't even the last of his thoughts.

_ What's going on in town? Is everyone okay? Is Marnie okay? Who the hell saved me? Are we far enough? Why didn’t I just stop with the Wizard? Should I have let Jas go on her own? _

He got an answer to at least one of his questions, as Jas came back in one piece with no visible injuries. That didn't help his nervousness much, but it was a start.

“Are we going to do more running?" 

“Uncle Shane is exhausted, so not for tonight. I don't want to run out of energy."

Of course, Jas complained about her dress being muddy, so he let her change into clothing a bit more convenient than a dress for the wilderness, and adjusted her hair bow so it would be pretty and perfect again. He didn't mind, as long as it made Jas happy.

Shane opened his backpack to take out some of those JojaCakes™ he packed away, peeled the wrapper off one, and scarfed it down. Only after he finished did he realize how hungry he was. He gave one to Jas, and it disappeared just as quickly.

“It tasted like sand,” Jas said honestly, with not a hint of malice in her dainty voice. 

“Probably why they never go bad,” Shane suggested, which made Jas giggle.

“I bet Mr. Morris would be good in a sandcastle building contest,” Jas joked, giggling more. 

Shane smiled wearily, just happy that she was happy. “Maybe he would be.”

He took a long guzzle out of his canteen, and, like with the snacks, he only then realized how thirsty he was. He wished they didn’t need to ration the water. 

“This is just like camping!” Jas exclaimed, settling down on the forest floor. 

“Yeah… I guess.” Shane had never really been fond of camping, especially “camping” without a sleeping bag, which was what they were currently doing. 

As Jas fell sleeping, cradling a supply pack, Shane tried to drill his new motto into his head. 

_ If Jas is happy, I’m happy. And Jas’s happiness and safety is the most important thing in the entire world _ .


	7. Chapter 6

Shane figured he must have ran far enough into the woods, because for the next few days, they didn't come across another living soul (although Jas insisted she saw little walking apples; how ridiculous was that! He entertained her imagination, though). He and Jas just traveled, foraging for nuts and wild doods, although spring wasn’t the prime season for such. The only trouble they ran into with Shane not properly rationing their water, leading to him having to stop by a creek and boil more. He was admittedly very worried that he would catch something on fire, but the knowledge of the wilderness he picked up in Croc Scouts had finally paid off. He’d' always hated the Yoba-worshipping cult that was Croc Scouts, and his parents probably would have made him do Gator Scouts if Marnie hadn't taken custody. another reason to love Marnie, and another reason to pray for her safety.

To take his mind off all the various reasons he hated Croc Scouts, Shane glanced at his cell phone, which somehow hadn’t died yet, to check if Marnie had ever replied to his text. Nope. She hadn’t even read it. He didn’t have service, so he hoped that was the reason for her silence. 

It was hot again, and Shane was sweltering in the heat. He hadn’t been able to bathe in days, and he’d never felt more disgusting and grimy, which was saying something. He was unbearably hot, on the verge of overheating, and he would have died for a way to cool down. He could splash some water on his face, but what a waste of resources that would be! He needed to conserve water. 

The sweat and heat was making it hard to move; every step felt like a massive effort, and his head was pulsing. Blast him for being horribly out of shape! 

As he continued on, his vision was getting dizzy, and his legs were teetering. 

“Uncle Shane, you don’t look so good…” Jas noted, coming to his side, holding his hand.

“I’m fine,” he said, not wanting Jas to be worried about him. He wanted water, just one sip of water… A cool oasis filled with cool, cold water…

***

Shane awoke to feeling a coldness on his head, which was relieving considering his last memory had been of unbearable heat. 

“You’re lucky I found you, you moron. When you’re about to die of heat stroke, it’s okay to take off your uniform.” 

Shane wondered if he’d been shoved into JojaMart again, until he opened his eyes and saw his second savoir. 

“Sam!” Seeing the missing man caused Shane to sit up and look around. They were still in the forest, and Jas and Vincent were sitting on the ground, playing with pebbles. 

“In the flesh. Here, take this. I’ve got so much of the stuff I can’t drink it all myself.” Sam handed Shane a Joja Cola from his bag, opening the can for him. 

Shane took a sip of the nasty drink, but was relieved to have something to drink regardless. “Everyone’s been so worried about you!” Shane found as if he had a million questions. “Can I ask you some things?”  
Sam nodded. “As you wish.” 

“How did you find us?”  
Sam shrugged. “Not that hard, really. We saw footprints in the dirt, and footprints lead to people, so Vince and I followed them and found you passed out and Jas screaming for help.” 

“Did you find your mom?”

Sam shook his head. “I haven’t really been looking, though. Vince and I just wanted to get away.”

“What about Sebastian? He left looking for you, you know.”

This question made Sam’s once friendly look turn hard and burdened. “Next question.” He changed his mind quickly, though. “Actually, it's my turn to ask a question. Has anyone died since I left? And why are you out here?”

“None that I know of, but we lost Marnie- as in, literally lost her.” 

Sam seemed relieved to hear that, so Shane felt bad for crushing him with his next piece of news. “The town was attacked. Jas and I escaped, but I have no idea who else made it out.” Then Shane remembered. “Lewis. Lewis died.”

The news hit Sam like a rock. “Well, shit.”

“That’s a bad word,” Vincent popped up, just to then go back to playing with Jas. 

“Yeah, kid. I know.” 


	8. Chapter 7

Sam was glad he’d found his coworker, but the news he brought made him wish he hadn’t. If Lewis had died, who could say if the whole town, save Shane and Jas, had been massacred? His mom was missing in a war zone and his dad was off fighting in the very same war. And he’d lost Sebastian. The idea of the whole town being in shreds hurt his heart hurt his heart too much to bear. 

“We need to go back,” Shane said out of the blue. 

“Are you nuts?” As much as Sam wanted to go back, he knew they couldn’t. “It’s too dangerous.” 

“I know, but we need to go back. We need to look for Marnie. We need to look for your mom.”

“I want to look for my mom as much as you want to look for your aunt, but we can’t go!” He cried. “Sorry, I’m being rude. Usually that’s your job.”

“I understand, and you’re not being rude. I’ve been close to losing my temper a lot since we ran away, but…” Shane looked to Jas, who was still playing pebbles. “I need to set an example.”

He envied Shane’s self control. “I’ll be a lot more cheery soon, it’s just that it’s a lot to handle. So… you want to go back.”

Shane nodded. “I don’t want to stay forever, but it’ll be easier to find a safe place to stay from the valley rather than very far away from it, and I want to see if we can find our families. I can’t stop thinking about Marnie.”

“And I can’t stop thinking about my parents either. But before we go, we need to think of a safety plan first.”

An idea seemed to pop into Shane’s head. “If we’re all going to stick together, going to Stardew would be dangerous. You’re good with kids, so maybe you could camp out here with Vincent and Jas while I try to scout out a safe place to live back in the valley? I have really no will to live anyways, and it’d be better for conserving resources…”  
Sam felt panic flare up in his chest, for reasons Shane didn’t need to know, but that didn’t prevent him from panicking. “No! No one is going to be leaving by themselves!”

“Okay, okay, sorry,” Shane apologized. Sam could tell he had something to say that he was holding in from the way his eyes were looking off to the side, but looking at nothing. “Is there… Anything I can do?” 

Sam smiled, going back to his old self for what would hopefully be more than a fleeting moment. “Nah, I’m chill. We head for town in the morning?” 

“In the morning, we set sail.” Shane chuckled. “I sound like Elliott, don’t I?”

“A little. Much less pretentious.”  
“Ah, give the guy a break! You’d sound pretty pretentious too if all you did was advertise your book.”

“No, instead you spend all day advertising overpriced Joja crap.” Sam smirked, finding himself having fun messing around with Shane. The feeling seemed to be mutual, as Shane was smirking right back, and that man nearly never smiled. 

“Hey, at least I’m not the janitor who also skateboards in the aisles, knocking over stock so my poor superior has to put everything back in place, AND take the blame when Morris comes around to do an inspection!” Shane teased. 

“C’mon, that was  _ once _ !” Sam sighed playfully. “You’re killing me, Shane.” 

“Good.” 

The two bantered back and forth for the rest of the night (quietly, as to not wake the kids) and for once in the past two weeks, things didn’t seem too dark for Sam. Even if he, and everyone else, were in the biggest pickle any of them had ever seen. 


	9. Chapter 8

“We want to be heading east, since we’re way far west of town,” Sam explained to Shane and the kids. “Although, Vincent and I camped up north, over the mountain and things were pretty nice. Mainly sandy fields, but plenty of water.”

“I wonder if the train’s still running. It doesn’t come by often, but if it does, we could get a one way ticket out of the valley.” Shane felt equally proud and stupid for what should have been such an easy conclusion to come to. 

“Worth a shot, and a very good idea. So, keep your eyes out for tracks! Human or train.” 

“What about animal?” Vincent asked curiously. 

“Earlier Shane and I saw a bunny rabbit!” Jas exclaimed. “I’ve been trying to let Marnie let me get a rabbit, but she says that we already have some in the barn. Bunnies are indoor pets!”

“Not to criticize my aunt, but she’s not wrong,” Shane whispered to Sam. “I want Marnie to move the rabbits indoors, or at least set up a section of the barn for them to free-roam in. Wire floors really aren’t good for their feet.”  
“I thought you were the chicken man, not the bunny boy,” Sam teased. 

“I have room in my heart for all of Yoba’s beautiful creatures.”

“Aren’t you an atheist?”  
“Shut up.”

Sam snorted with laughter. “You’re such a freaking character.”

The days went on like this for a while. Walking, talking, and eating; all they needed to do to survive. 

“We’ll get there soon,” Sam said hopefully. “I don’t really have much of an idea of what to do once we get there, but we’ll work out the kinks when it comes to that.” 

“Take a train or walk to the nearest safe town, whatever’s easier, safer, or fastest,” Shane reminded. 

“Maybe we should split up and each go a different way?”

The suggestion from Vincent made Sam stiffen and tense. Thoughts and terrible memories rushed their way to the front of his mind. A crumpled body, blood flowing onto grass, hot, crippling sobs upon seeing it…

“Sam… Sam!” Shane’s calls snapped Sam out of his flashback. He looked at the man and quivered. “What the hell’s going on with you?” Despite his wording, the tone in Shane’s voice and his sympathetic look revealed deep concern. 

Sam lowered his voice. “I was thinking about what happened to Sebastian.” Before waiting for Shane to ask, he continued. “We split up to go look for resources, mainly wood to start a fire. Seb went one way, and me and Vincent went another. By the time Vincent and I were done, we couldn’t find Sebastian anywhere. We called and called for him, but he never called back. We found him by the railroad tracks.” He sighed. “I won’t describe what happened to him, but it was obviously a murder. You know how I was with Sebastian…”

“I do, and I’m so sorry.” Shane put his arm around the blonde man, trying to comfort him. “That won’t ever happen again, not to any of us.”

“And I know it won’t, because I’ll make absolutely sure of it. Sebastian’s death… it obviously hurt a lot.” 

“I know, I know.” Shane bit his lip, not used to being the one doing the comforting. 

Sam lowered his voice even further, to the point of a whisper. “That’s why I really need to go back to the valley. I know where Robin is staying, and I need to tell her what happened to her son. It’s the one thing I insist I do alone.” He held his head high, trying not to let Shane see the tears that were welling up in his eyes, and that his lip was trembling. 

“That’s understandable.” Was all Shane would say. 

If the kids had heard the discussion, they weren’t showing that they had. The silence was weighing heavily on both Shane and Sam, and every time the latter was reminded of his lost love, he shook for a reason he couldn’t describe; it was almost as if he was so upset it channeled the emotion into a shiver, like chattering teeth warming someone up in the freezing cold. 

Speaking of such, upon seeing Sam’s shaking, Shane spoke up. “Are you cold? You’re probably cold. Take my jacket.” 

They both knew that wasn’t the case, but Shane took off his ratty JojaMart jacket and Sam put it on reluctantly. Normally he would have seen this kind of gesture as a flirt, but Shane wouldn’t even look at him afterwards, his posture stiff as a board. The tension was so thick it could have been cut with a knife. Sam took a deep breath, and tried to do what he was best at doing: cracking jokes.

“So I suppose you never really learned how to comfort people beyond your girlfriends in high school?”

“Sam, it’s okay to just mourn. I’ll leave you be if you want.” He then offered Sam a sliver of a smile. “But, no, not really. You probably don’t want to come to the walking ball of anxiety, depression, and alcoholism for moral support.”  
“At least you’re someone to talk to, and someone who, on some level, understands how I’m feeling.” 

They didn’t talk much at all for the rest of that night, but the two had come to sort of an understanding. Theirs was a symbiotic relationship, and they needed one another to survive. Neither of them wanted to be the next Sebastian, for two reasons. The first was because they wanted to save their own hides, and the second being that neither wanted to put the other in the pain that Sam was already in. 


	10. Chapter 9

_One day, Harvey, you’ll amount to something great! You will soar sky high!_

That was one of the last things Harvey’s father had said to him before he was sent to the emergency room, never to return. Even though it had traumatized Harvey to emergency rooms, that was the day Harvey finally gave up on his dream of becoming a pilot and started considering a path in medicine. He didn’t ever think he would amount to a great doctor, but at least as a doctor he could protect people and save them from human illness and human stupidity, as he hadn’t been able to do with his father. 

When he looked up at the sky to see planes on that frightful night Pelican Town had been destroyed, he was overwhelmed by emotions. Fear, because his aviation knowledge told him those were war planes. Wonder, because he had never seen planes so close over his head. And a distorted sense of nostalgia, because the image brought to mind a song he hadn’t heard since he was a little boy. 

_Did you see the frightened ones?_

_Did you hear the falling bombs?_

_Did you ever wonder why we had to run for shelter when the promise of a brave new world unfurled beneath a clear blue sky?_

Since that day, Harvey’s life had certainly changed. He was finally amounting something great, like his father had said he would. Even if he wasn’t a pilot. 

“What seems to be the trouble, Mr?” His patient had their face cloaked in black, a dusty mop of Joja-blue hair hiding his face even further. His wife, whose face was also hidden, seemed very worried as her husband pulled up his cloak to reveal a nasty infected wound on his leg. 

“Emmett hurt his leg real bad when that awful dog bit him!” His wife exclaimed dotingly. 

“That… doesn’t seem like a dog bite,” Harvey said, inspecting the wound. “Tell me the truth of what happened. I won’t be mad, and I’ll be able to treat the wound better.” 

“Beam of wood fell on my damn leg,” Emmett growled. “Fix it up, Doc.”

“I will, and you should really be glad you came to me. That really doesn’t look good.” The wound was oozing with pus, smelled of infection, and Harvey suspected there were still splinters in Emmett’s leg. “Hold still, this might hurt.” 

Emmett screamed in agony as Harvey drained the wound and picked the splinters out, and wrapped it in gauze. “Bastard!” 

“I know, I know, I’m sorry. My anesthetics burned down with my office, and it’s not easy to run a clinic next to a train station. He, Doctor Harvey, was helping people in the midst of war. He was more than just a doctor now, he was a medic! He’d set up a station and his personal camp next to… the station, hoping that a train would pass so these poor people could find safety. He’d wanted to use the bathhouse for his location, but the entire place was crumbling and smelled of Alex’s old socks, so it was out of the question except for its intended purpose of showering. For now, though, his heart and soul would go into his little clinic. 

Harvey opened a trunk he’d found after the town was destroyed, which he’d filled with all his salvaged medical supplies. “I’ll give you folks some extra gauze, in case you need to redress the wound, and some antibiotics to keep that infection from spreading. Because, well, if it spreads to your blood, you’re in trouble,” Harvey told the couple, giving them what they needed. “And of course, if you need to return, feel free to. Your safety is all I have in mind.”

“How much are we paying?” The wife asked as Emmett writhed in pain. Harvey wasn’t a judgmental person, but he felt like Emmett may have been playing up his pain, at least a little.

“You’re not paying anything at all. In fact, all I ask is that you keep an eye out for my assistant, Maru. She has pink glasses, brown eyes, brown hair with pink highlights, light brown skin, probably wearing overalls… If you see her, ask her if she knows me and tell her I could really use her help out here. You’ll have my eternal gratitude if you can bring her back.”

“Yeah, yeah, all right, we got it, Dr. Boring.” Emmett got off the ground, seemingly a lot stronger than he was before. 

_Doctor Boring_! Harvey rolled his eyes at the names his patients came up with for him, only to realize that Emmett and his wife had disappeared. 

“Nighty night, jackass.” 

Harvey didn’t know whether the husband or wife had wished him farewell, but he didn’t have time to figure out, as he felt his brain rattle in his skull as he was smashed over the head.

He let out a steam of curses, not something he usually did. He’d been tricked! He knew that someone would want to take him out for one reason or another, and he’d actually found the idea equal parts terrifying and exhilarating. The fact that he was important enough to someone that they wanted him to die… But, now that it was happening, he didn’t find it very exciting at all. On death’s door, he wanted nothing but to live. 

_Curse you, Emmett and your perfect wife!_   
  



	11. Chapter 10

“We’re home.”

Although, the valley didn’t look like home anymore. Almost none of the buildings in Pelican Town were left standing, as they were all made of wood, and the plant life was burned to cinders, leaving only stone structures and ash and dirt remaining, the landscape completely covered in black soot and dust. The only remaining buildings seemed to be the JojaMart and Pam’s trailer, which had somehow gotten flipped on its side. The Wizard’s tower was still intact, but Sam had insisted upon not going there. 

“She’s my good friend, but I’d rather not see Abigail right now. Her and her mom are probably having some…” Sam tugged at the collar of his shirt. “ _ Interesting  _ discussions at the moment.” 

When Shane inquired further about what he meant, Sam wouldn’t comment. “You could probably put Pierre out of business with a secret like that.” 

Shane found himself losing interest in anything to do with Pierre when he saw what remained of the ranch. It had burned to the ground, leaving nothing more than a small pile of junk.

Shane felt a little one cling onto his leg, and he knew it was Jas. “Our home…”

I know, sweetheart.” He rested his hand on her back, trying to assure her. “I’m sad too.” More sad than he felt showing, even, because all his energy went into comforting a crying, tearful Jas.

“Where’s Aunt Marnie?” 

Shane checked his phone, still finding that he had no service.  _ They must have destroyed the cell towers. _ “I don’t know. We’ll find her.” 

Sam had a similar experience with Vincent, as they passed the remains of their house. 

“Dad will come back home from war soon. Mom will come home too.” 

Although, in Sam’s eyes, Shane could tell he didn’t believe his own words. 

“So now we just have to wait for the train. Guess we should head up there,” Shane said, only to be halted by Sam. 

“This town isn’t a safe haven anymore. We need to be able to protect ourselves.”

“If there were any weapons, the town has probably been picked clean by now,” Shane argued. 

“So you’d rather go unarmed than look for something?”  
Knowing Sam was right, Shane let him win. “So where do we start looking?”  
“If I remember correctly, there was a department store that always had a sale on snow shovels. Even in the middle of spring.” 

***

As the group walked to JojaMart, they couldn't help but notice how deserted the whole town seemed. They all knew it was an illusion, though, and that there were people lurking in every nook and cranny. Shane held Jas close for that reason.

_ Don’t show your fear. That’ll make you look more vulnerable to attack.  _

Shane had always found his place of work creepy, but it was even more so as the last surviving building (other than the trailer) in what was now a ghost town. 

The entire building was filled with lost souls, people who must have run from Zuzu into town hoping for safety, but only finding a shelled grocery store. 

Seeing the newcomers, they all had different reactions. Some hissed like cats, shielding their children, and some watched with wide, eager eyes. No matter how they acted towards the outsiders, Shane could tell that they’d lost their humanity. 

They were quickly stopped from exploring the store further. 

“None may pass without meeting our leader!” A guard hissed. 

“Who, Morris? What is this, a Joja-cult?” Sam asked, only half joking. 

“No! We killed that Joja scum a long time ago.” Then, one of them noticed the logo on Shane’s sweater- the Joja J. “Joja scum! Joja scum!”   
“No!” He exclaimed, holding Jas close. “I used to work for Joja, and I hated it. I hated my boss, I hated the condition of this store, and I hated the company. I’m your friend.”

The mob that had been building backed off, and looked to Sam. “You got Joja ties?”  
“Nope.” Shane supposed it was better for Sam to just lie rather than face persecution. 

“You may meet with our leader, then. Proceed.” The guard stepped aside and called, “Augustus! Your presence has been requested!” 

After a few moments, their leader, a pudgy man with a recognizable mustache dropped from the ceiling like an angel from the heavens. 

He didn’t even  _ look _ different. It was just normal Gus, playing at god. 

“Nice cult you got here,” Sam snickered. 

“That was… not my intention.” Gus looked uncomfortably to his followers, almost as if to tell them to resist ripping Sam to pieces. “But Sam! Shane! Vincent and Jas! You’re alive and well.” Gus seemed cheery, as always. “I’m sorry you had to meet my entourage. They take my safety and my job very seriously.”  
“Which is?”  
Gus wrapped his arm around Shane. “What’s it’s always been, my favorite customer! Serving good food to good people, and this Joja-scholp is the best I have at the moment.” He shrugged. “Oh well, can’t cry over spilt milk. My charity work has gained me quite the following, though…” Gus eluded to his crowd. “I really need to come up with a name for them. I sometimes call them the little monsters, but that name’s taken. It’s not even that different from running the saloon. Just no pool, no alcohol, and no arcade games.” Then, he sighed. “And no Pam. No Emily either, but at least I know of Pam’s whereabouts. Poor woman was murdered coming home from the saloon the night of the attack.” 

Upon hearing this, Vincent broke into sobs. Sam shushed him, probably not wanting anyone from the cult to come near him. 

“Things aren’t the same without her, even if she never paid her tab…”

Pam’s unpaid tab was the last of Shane’s concerns, though. So many people just dropped dead like flies… he figured he’d just get to the point.   
“Gus, we came for weapons, just anything to defend ourselves with. Do you… think you’d be able to provide that?”

Gus didn’t seem enthusiastic about the deal he was going to make. “Can someone grab me bag 242?”

One of his cult members did, hanging it to him and scampering back off into the crowd. 

“Don’t you two… four? Tell a soul about this,” he whispered warily, handing Shane the bag. He quickly peeked inside, letting Sam see the goods as well; two pistols with extra cartridges. 

“In return, all I ask for is any food you may possess that I may want.” 

“Gus, we need food to  **_live_ ** **,** ” Shane reminded, feeling his backpack growing a little heavier. 

“And you can come to me for meals. I have an army to feed, and I need something in return for what I’ve provided you with.” Gus was usually much, much friendlier than this. Shane wondered if being worshipped had gotten to his head.

“You can have my pack. Or, the food, at least.” Sam volunteered, taking his drawstring bag off his back. Quickly, Gus rusted through it, taking out a few packs of peanut butter crackers, stale bread, and can after can of Joja Cola. 

“How much of this trash do you drink?” Gus asked, puzzled. 

Sam shrugged. “Guilty pleasure.” 

Gus sighed. “Well, fine, you win.” He then muttered under his breath. “Can’t believe I’m trading weaponry for Joja f-ing Cola…” 

Sam, Shane, and the kids tried to scuttle out of that place as fast as they possibly could, only for someone to cling onto Shane’s ankle, who was absolutely not Jas. 

“Hey, asshole, let go of me!” He snapped, kicking his leg. 

“Lewis, Pam, Pierre, Alex, George, Evelyn, Clint… Who knows who’ll be next!”

“You’re freaking me out, go away! What happened to Pierre and Clint and the Mullners?”

“Pierre went down with his shop, since the foolish bastard was too prideful to go live with the wizard. Same with the Mullners and their grandson; we found their bones. As for Clint…” Gus’s little cult member sighed. “We found him on the old farm. Someone smashed his head in with a bat.”


	12. Chapter 11

Roasting a once frozen Joja Pizza over a campfire on the ruins of the ranch seemed appropriate after the events of that day. 

“Everyone is  _ dead _ ,” Jas noted, trying to heat up her lukewarm pizza piece over the fire. 

“Indeed they are.” Shane scootched a little closer to her, feeling his dad instincts kick in. He was so overprotective daddy with Jas and such a bitter asshole with everyone else Sam found it kind of hilarious.

“At least they’re with Yoba now,” Vincent commented, which everyone just avoided. Talk of the dead made everyone feel crummy, and discussing religion wouldn't even remotely lighten the mood. 

“My main takeaway is that no one knows Sebastian is dead yet,” Sam said, eating his pizza as-is. “Probably because I gave him a proper burial when I found him.”

“You really shouldn’t blame yourself for that,” Shane said. “There’s nothing you could have done to save him.” 

“Bullshit. If I never left him to go alone, he wouldn’t have died.”

“And if you had stayed together, you all could have died.” 

Sam clearly didn’t want to talk about what was bothering him, so Shane just left him alone. Vincent had dropped his piece of pizza into the fire beyond all edibility, so Shane gave his piece to Sam’s little brother and let himself go hungry. Oh well. There could be worse things. 

***

Shane woke up to a noise he hadn’t heard in a good, long time: The crow of a rooster. 

“Hey, at least that means one of my birds is out there somewhere!” Shane exclaimed, trying to wake the rest of the group up with a little optimism. 

“We heading for the train station?” Sam asked. 

“It’s not like there’s anywhere else to go, so yeah. Hopefully we can find someone who can tell us if the train’s still in service or not.” 

As they walked, Shane felt the hand that wasn’t holding Jas’s drift down to an inconspicuous bulge in his pant pocket, that being the pistol Shane had received the previous day. He’d never even fired a gun before, so he hoped he wouldn't need to use it. As far as he knew, the only people in the valley who carried guns (before the war, at least) were Kent and Pierre. Pelican Town used to be so peaceful, no one thought they’d ever  _ need _ guns. Sam seemed to have a little more confidence about him, though. Shane wouldn’t have been surprised if his dad taught him how to shoot.

When they arrived, things seemed a little  _ too  _ quiet for comfort. The quiet was soon broken with muffled screams, and that was when Sam noticed someone bound, gagged, and tied to the railroad tracks. It was almost like something he’d seen in the type of old western the saloon would play sometimes; a damsel in distress, tied to the tracks by bandits, and a cowboy would need to come and save her. But this was no damsel, and their savior wouldn’t be a cowboy, either. 

Before Sam had even gotten a chance, it was Shane who rushed to save the tied up person, taking a small pocket knife out of his bag and using it to cut the ropes. Shane knew exactly who this was, but he wouldn’t address the man with the broken glasses and slightly overgrown mustache until he had the privilege of freedom. 

As soon as his ties to the tracks had been sliced, Shane worked on the regular bounds that tied his hands and feet together, and then tore the gag off the doctor’s mouth. 

“Shane!” He cried, although his cry came out as more as a sputtery cough. “Water! Water!” 

“Don’t worry, I’ve got you, Doc.” Shane handed Harvey his canteen, and didn’t complain when the doctor guzzled it all down in just a few sips. He was clearly very dehydrated, as someone had decided to put him through hell. 

“Anything else I can get you?”

Harvey sighed, still very much in a state of shock; he looked like a deer in headlights. “A clean change of clothes, if you can spare them…” 

Shane embarrassedly nodded in understanding, hustling the rest of the group away after he tossed Harvey some of his spare clothing. 

“What happened to Uncle Harvey?” Vincent asked curiously. 

Confused, Sam corrected, “Vincent, he’s not our uncle…” 

“I’m sure the doctor will tell us what happened when he’s done changing into his new clothes.” Then, almost a bit accusatory, Shane added, “So _be nice_.”   
Sam looked even more confused than before, but the kids nodded in agreement. Shane felt a poke on his shoulder, as Harvey was trying to get his attention. 

“Feeling better?” Shane asked, turning around. 

Harvey nodded, still seeming a bit frazzled. “I’m sorry you had to see me like that.”

“So… what happened?”   
“I don’t know!” He admitted. “All I remember is that I was treating some patients… I opened up a free clinic here by the tracks, you see, and then the next thing I know I’m tied up on the tracks with a terrible headache. Whoever did that seems to have also pilfered all my medical supplies…” he sighed again, looking at an ajar chest. “So much for amounting to something great someday.” 

Shane put his hand on Harvey’s shoulder. “Hey, you matter already! Even if you got set back, you’ve still helped a lot of people throughout your career, and I know you’ve saved at least one life.” He then gave Harvey what was probably the dorkiest smile ever, only to then look away, fervently blushing. “Uh, sorry.” 

“Hey, I was just doing my job, no need to apologize,” Harvey assured, missing what Shane was actually apologizing for. “I mean, even if it wasn’t my job I still would have helped, but you get what I’m saying…”

Shane felt his whole face grow hot with embarrassment, and he could feel his heart fluttering. Sam decided it was a good time to interrupt. 

“You know, Harvey, you’re not the first to suffer head trauma- probably why you had short term memory loss. According to someone in the Gus-cult, Clint was beaten to death with a bat. Wouldn’t be surprised if it was the same guy.” 

“Well, that’s a shame about Clint.” Harvey shrugged. “And I see you must have met Gus’s little monsters. He tried to hire me a while ago, but I insisted that I work alone. As my reward for that, when they saw me on the train tracks they just left me there.” He rolled his eyes.

“Do you have any lollipops?” Jas asked innocently, eyeing Harvey’s pockets. 

“I want one too!” Vincent yelled, pushing himself in front of Jas. 

Harvey smiled in a fatherly, loving way he did whenever he gave children checkups. “Maybe not lollipops, but let me see…” A quick dig through his pockets revealed two strawberry candies, and even the  _ thought  _ nauseated Shane. He hated those things. Vincent and Jas were less fussy, snatching up the candy. 

“Don’t choke!” Shane warned Jas, turning back to Harvey. 

“Do you want some?”  
“I’m good, and I’ve never been more sure of anything in my whole life,” Shane said. “I’m sorry, but those things are _nasty_.” 

“I agree,” Harvey replied. “I only give them out when I’m out of everything else, and I only buy them at all because Maru likes them.” The doctor’s demeanor changed, looking sorrowful. “Have you seen Maru anywhere?”

Shane shook his head. “I’m afraid not.” 

Harvey’s frown turned to a full-on sulk. “Well, thank you for saving my life. The little monsters weren’t going to, and other than that, the town seems to be completely abandoned.” 

“Well, Sam and the kids and I should be here until a train passes, because then we’re going to catch that train and go somewhere safe,” Shane told him. 

Harvey smiled warmly at him. “And I wish I could come with you, but my calling is here. Good luck, and if I find Marnie or your parents, Sam, I’ll make sure to let you know.” He gave Shane a hug, and wished them all well as the four walked “home”. 

Shane walked with an extra bit of pride in his step and a goofy smile on his face. 

“So, someone made a friend today,” Sam teased, elbowing Shane playfully. 

“I mean, Harvey and I have always been on good terms, especially after we saved each other’s lives and all,” Shane bluffed. “I just paid back the favor.” 

“Well, methinks you were hitting on him.”

Shane blushed. “I was  _ not _ !” 

Jas giggled, and that was when Shane realized you were never going to hear the end of it. “Uncle Shane, you’re funny! Shane’s got a cru-ush!” 

He sighed with a smile on his face, tousling Jas’s hair. “You tire me out, kiddo.” 

“Sam’s the one teasing you!” She said, shifting the blame immediately, which caught Sam off-guard.

“I wasn’t the one giving Dr. Harvey big puppy dog eyes!”  
That made Shane’s blush even worse. “I was not giving anyone-” he made air quotes. “‘Big puppy dog eyes’. Sam just likes giving me a hard time.”

Sam shrugged, not denying the statement, and even though Shane knew he was in for relentless teasing, he felt happiness open inside his chest, like a flower finally seeing the sun. It might have had a little to do with the fact he’d gotten a hug from Harvey, but it was just as much because he felt like he’d found a family in these hard times. It definitely beat being alone, which was what Shane had expected this apocalyptic future to foresee. Alone and dark, cold and terrifying. It was all of the above still, but Sam, his slightly annoying little brother, and Shane’s own daughter were lights in the darkness. He hoped with all his heart that they’d never be separated… and that maybe Harvey could be a new light in their entourage. 


	13. Chapter 12

“If I eat another frozen pizza I’m going to kill somebody,” Sam said, lying on his back and looking up at the stars. 

“It’s not like we have much of a choice,” Shane said drearily. After a few weeks in the valley, waiting for the train, they were running low on food. Now they were down to nothing but frozen pizzas and cans of pears and corn. In a moment of desperation, Shane had even gone to the little monsters for help. They pulled up his shirt, poked his belly and his ribs, and declared, “You are not  _ starving.  _ We only help those who are  _ starving.”  _

Once the pizzas were gone, Shane knew they were in trouble.

“I’ll go out looking for more food.”  
“We _all_ will,” Sam reminded. “Since JojaMart is now home to the rat pack, and everywhere else burned to the ground, that only leaves one place left.” 

***

“You know, I feel guilty stealing from the trailer of a dead woman,” Shane mumbled.   
“Pam’s dead, and it’s not like Penny is going to want to come back to this place, if she’s even alive. And if we do see her, we can give her a snack.” Sam smiled a little. “Penny and I were buds. Seb said Maru was staying with her, so I’m sure those two are taking good care of each other.” Sam’s smile turned to a teary-eyed stare. “Yoba, I miss Sebastian.”  
“I know,” Shane said sympathetically. “I promise it’ll get easier with time.”

Sam didn’t seem to believe him, but focused back on the task at hand.

“Now, you don’t go doing this, Shane. We want to keep those hands of yours nice and pretty for the doctor.” Sam looked at the only window that was still exposed, and punched it as hard as he could. 

Sam grimaced in pain, his knuckles bleeding from shards of glass embedded in them. Seeming a bit defeated, he gave himself the courtesy to let out a whimper of pain that soon turned into a moan as the tears fell from his eyes. 

“What the hell, Sam? We could have just shot the window open.”

“Less… noise…” Sam picked the shards of glass out of his hand, whimpering and crying more. Sam usually put on such a strong persona, seeing him crying like a lost puppy was shocking, but sobering. He wanted to comfort Sam gently, but also knew that Sam would want him to get the job done first.

“Give me a sock or something,” Sam asked, trying to stop the blood flow with his sweater sleeve. 

Not having any clean socks on him, Shane gave Sam a pair of clean underwear and assisted Sam in dressing it around his wounded hand as sort of a makeshift tourniquet. 

“Don’t worry, that was my weak hand.”

“I’m still taking you to Harvey’s after, dumbass.” 

“Since I seem to have been wounded in battle, you can do the thieving- I mean, borrowing,” Sam instructed, tossing Shane a flashlight. “If you need help, just holler. I’ll be watching the kids.” 

Sam walked back to the pile of debris Vincent and Jas were hiding behind, trying to ignore the throbbing pain in his hand. 

Both kids giggled upon seeing him. “You have underwear on your hand!” Vincent laughed. 

“Are they yours or Uncle Shane’s?” Jas asked. 

“Uh… Vincent, don’t touch!” He said, pulling his wrapped hand away. “My hand’s hurt, and this is stopping the blood from getting out,” he explained, as simply as he could.

“Sorry, big brother.”

Meanwhile, Shane tumbled into the trailer, feeling a sharp pain on his back. He figured he must have scratched it on the glass, and hoped his clothes were doing a somewhat decent job of covering the wound.

Seconds later, Shane found out he wasn’t alone. 

He heard shallow breathing, animalistic in nature. Thinking he’d just stumbled upon another hideout for Zuzu runaways, he tried to reason with them. “I don’t want to hurt you, and I’m sorry for breaking in. Now, I’ll just back out…” 

But what Shane found wasn’t human at all. A dog stepped out of the shadows, teeth bared and ears flat against its head. “Dusty!” Shane exclaimed. “It’s me, Dusty, I’m your friend. I gave you pizza once… Don’t you remember?”   
Dusty didn’t care about Shane’s act of kindness years ago, but rather lunged at him, his white canines flashing at the man who had invaded his territory. 

“Sam! Sam!” Shane called, trying to scramble out the small window as fast as he could, not even caring about if he got torn to shreds by the window or not. Because at least the window couldn’t fight back. 

Sam rushed over to the trailer and grabbed Shane’s hand, pulling as hard as he could with one of his own hands being busted and wrapped in underwear.

“I’ve got you!” Sam assured. “You’re going to be okay!” 

His eyes were wide with panic, and Shane figured the expression was mirroring his. He felt Dusty breathing on him, his feet surrounded by the dog’s hot breath, so close to being bitten. He lunged again, and Shane felt teeth sink into his right foot, and the pain was excruciating… but he was wearing a shoe! 

Shane kicked his leg, letting his shoe fall off and leaving Dusty stuck. Sam pulled Shane free, but before he could relax, Sam pulled out his pistol. Only a few moments later, Sam had fired inside the trailer with surprising accuracy, and Shane no longer heard the dog’s growls and barks. 

“You killed him.” 

Sam looked down at the gun guiltily. “It was him or you-” he gulped. “And my dad used to take me hunting.” 

They decided not to tell the kids about Dusty, but they were aware that both of them weren’t in good shape.   
“We should go see Doctor Harvey,” Jas said, looking worriedly at her godfather’s bleeding foot. “And get you a new sock n’ shoe.” 

“Maybe I’ll just wear an underwear shoe,” Shane joked, limping his way up to the train station and using Jas for support. 

“Then you and Sam could match,” she giggled.

Harvey examined both of their wounds, and bit his lip. “The scratches should be fine as long as you keep them clean, but Sam, you need to keep that hand wrapped up And Shane, that foot, especially considering you were bit by a dog, is going to get infected fast if you don’t wrap it up in something.”

So then Shane had to sit there in humiliation as Harvey wrapped his foot in underwear. Shane told him he could do it himself, but Harvey insisted. So he had a professionally wrapped underwear-foot.

“I’m sorry I can’t provide you with anything else. I would have been able to if those outlaws hadn’t taken my medical supplies!”

“And I’m sorry you had to touch my underwear,” Shane apologized, not meeting Harvey’s gaze out of shyness. 

He smiled. “Shane, my dear, I am a doctor. I have had to do much, much more disgusting things in my life. Not calling your underwear disgusting, but…” 

“I think that’s enough,” Sam said, noticing Shane seemed to be going into a total lockdown brought on by embarrassment. “Thanks for the help, Doc!”

“It’s no trouble at all! Come back if you need anything!”

No matter how cheery Harvey seemed about the situation, Shane still wanted to crawl into a hole and die. The combination of searing pain and burning embarrassment made it nearly impossible to go to sleep. 


End file.
